Indian star Virat Kohli has revealed that arch-rivals Australia no longer consider India an easy opponent. After the recent exploits on the world stage in recent years, the ‘mighty’ Australians have started to ‘respect’ the Men in Blue. India are scheduled to visit Down Under later this year, for the all-important Border Gavaskar Trophy. Rohit Sharma & Co. will tour Australia for a five-match Test series, as a part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2023-25 and Virat Kohli would be eager to make his mark in BGT 2024-25.
Despite playing away from home, India have history in their favour, and in no way, do they head into the series as underdogs. The Asian giants have been a menacing force in red-ball cricket, being the only team to feature in both WTC finals so far. Senior Indian batter, Virat Kohli has revealed the perception of the Indo-Australian rivalry, ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to commence from November 22, 2024.
Virat Kohli amongst runs ahead of BGT 2024-25
Virat Kohli got back amongst the run-scorers as he played two crucial innings in the recently concluded Kanpur Test match. He looked out of touch in Chennai, but looked at his imperial best as he executed some brilliant strokes. In the first innings, when India needed to play aggressively, Virat Kohli brough his T20 style out as he scored a quick-fire 47 off 25 deliveries to keep the scoreboard ticking. He then had a much-needed outing in the second innings when India needed 95 runs to win.
The team had lost two early wickets, but Kohli brought his experience to the crease, and alongside Yashaswi Jaiswal, steered India to victory. He scored 27 runs, but looked confident once again as he struck at nearly 80. The highlight of the innings was his sweep shot which he played against Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
The Bangladesh spinner pitched it fuller and Kohli unleashed a ferocious sweep shot which went past the boundary ropes. Interestingly, Virat Kohli rarely plays the sweep shot, and the first time he used it was on the tour of Australia in 2014, where he scored 692 runs in 4 Tests.
Aussie spinner, Nathan Lyon was wreaking havoc in that series, and to counter him, Kohli used the sweep shot from his arsenal and was successful against the Aussie spinner. The Border-Gavaskar Series is just a few months away, and it seems like Kohli is getting ready to tackle Lyon’s spin once again.
Virat Kohli revealed India’s perception in the minds of Australian cricketers, ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series. The 35-year-old stated that the rivalry, which was pretty intense initially, has now turned into respect. India recorded series wins over Australia on their previous two visits, as they hope to secure a hat-trick of wins this season. Virat Kohli has stated that the 2-1 wins in 2019 and 2021 have changed the environment in their favour.
Virat Kohli expresses himself on upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
Senior batter Virat Kohli has asserted that since India have beaten Australia in the last two away Test series, they have earned the respect of the Aussies. According to the former India captain, they are no longer taken lightly as a Test side.
India and Australia will lock horns in a five-match Test series as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins in Perth on November 22. The visitors beat the Aussies 2-1 in 2018-19 and defeated them by the same scoreline in 2020-21. During an interaction on Star Sports, Kohli opined that the rivalry has taken the shape of respect since India have registered consecutive Test series wins Down Under. The seasoned batter said :
“The rivalry was very intense in the initial years. The environment used to be very tense. Since we have won the series in Australia twice, the rivalry has turned into respect. We are not taken lightly as a Test team. That respect is evident when we play against Australia – that is a team that has beaten us twice in our backyard back-to-back.”
Virat Kohli has an excellent record in Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 13 matches, he has scored 1,352 runs at an average of 54.08, with as many as six centuries. The right-handed batter smashed three tons during the 2014 tour and one each in 2012, 2015, and 2018.
R Ashwin on India vs Australia Test rivalry
Like Virat Kohli, senior India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also acknowledged that the Australian cricketers are a lot more wary of the current Indian Test team because of the kind of success they have tasted Down Under. The 38-year-old said in the same video:
“The Australian cricketers definitely know that this team has got the ability and they do respect people on this side of the fence, so does everybody inside the dressing room that I play in. We all know how good the Aussie team is. There are some wonderful cricketers in there. The mutual respect and camaraderie is a lot better.”
Ashwin has played 10 Test matches in Australia, picking up 39 wickets at an average of 42.15, with a best of 4-55. Overall, he has featured in 22 Tests against the Aussies and has claimed 114 scalps at an average of 28.36, with seven five-fers and one 10-wicket match haul.